Anchor winch



Oct. 24, 1950 E. H. KRUSE 2,526,953

ANCHOR WINCH Filed Dec. 3, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet l E. H. KRUSE ANCHOR WINCH Oct. 24, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 3, 1945 INVENTOR.

Patented Oct. 24,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ANCHOR WINCH Edward H. Kruse, Fort Wayne, Ind.

Application December 3, 1945, Serial No. 632,481

7 Claims. (01. 114230) This invention relates to improvements in an anchor winch adapted for use on a boat.

In the use of a row boat it is desirable at times, as when fishing, to anchor the boat in such manner that it is held in a definite selected location and prevented from swinging from one position to another at random under influence of any prevailing wind as ordinarily occurs when restrained with but a single anchorage thus leaving the fisherman more or less confused as to the exact situsof the boat at any moment. To overcome such difliculty it is customar to provide two anchors, suspended from each end of the boat, that ordinarily are manipulated separately and at different times while the boat is being maneuvered into the desired location. By placing the anchors in widely separated places and then taking up the slack in the anchor ropes the boat thereby is restrained from meandering. Such practice requires the operator to move about while manipulating the anchors and in maneuvering the boat, which occasions considerable expenditure of both effort and time.

The instant invention has for its purpose the provision of an appliance that enables one individual operator to manipulate both anchors and maneuver the boat with facility while stationed in one location.

An object of the invention is to provide an apparatus that is operable by one person while seated in a boat by which two widely remote anchors, one at the bow and the other at the stern of the boat, may be raised or lowered concurrently or selectively.

Another object of the invention is to provide a winch that is positioned in a boat at a midportion thereof and connected by means of cables that extend from corresponding pulleys located at the bow and stern of the boat and have attached thereto anchors to be raised or lowered selectively by operation of the winch.

A further object Of the invention is to provide an apparatus for raising and lowering anchors selectively that are suspended from a boat from places remote from each other, which is operable by one person while stationed in a midportion of the boat, and are provided with indicators, one for each anchor whereby to apprise the operator of the rise of said anchors to the surface of the water.

Other objects and advantages of the invention appear in the following description.

An illustrative embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a structure in which the invention is incorporated, a portion being broken away;

Fig. 2 is an end elevational view of the winch shown in Fig. l, the support for same being in section;

Fig. 3 is a detail elevation view Of a pulley for one of the anchor cables and its supporting fixture, and the indicator associated therewith, the support for the fixture being shown in section;

Fig. 4 is an end elevational view of the winch drawn to an enlarged scale shown partially broken away; and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary top plan view of the structure shown in Fig. 4. i

The illustrative embodiment of the invention consists of a housing 6 provided on its top with a handle l and on one of its sides 8 with a yoke 9 provided with a clamp-screw ID by which to se cure the winch to the gunwale H of a boat (not shown). The winch indicated generally by A has mounted rotatively in its housing 6 two drumshafts l2-i-3 spaced apart from each other in parallel relationship with their ends projecting through the sides 8S of the housing, and on each of said shafts is secured a drum |4-l4' upon which is wound an anchor cable I5--I5. On each of said drum-shafts is loosely mounted a concentric gear iii-J6 provided with a friction disk I? disposed between the gear and the head 53 of the adjacent drum, and on the outer end of each shaft is loosel disposed a concentric sleeve it that has bearing in the forward side 8 of the housing so as to have rotary movement therein. A thumb-nut 2Q is threaded on the outer end of each drum-shaft and has engagement with the corresponding sleeve. By tightening the thumb-nut against the sleeve the opposite end thereof is thrust axially against the adjacent gear, whereupon the friction disk' is clamped between the gear and the head of the adjacent drum. Thus, as the gear is rotated the drum-shafts and drums secured thereon are likewise rotated.

A brake i provided for each drum, each consisting of a brake-shaft 25 mounted for angular turning movement in the housing and provided with an eccentric 22 disposed in the plane of the head on the corresponding drum, so that by manipulating the upturned outer end 2| of the brake-shaft the eccentric is wedged against the drum-head thus blocking the drum against rov tation.

leases engagement of the corresponding-gear with of the cables on their drums.

the drum, whereupon the gear idles on the drumshaft thus permitting turning of the operating crank to actuate the other gear and its associated drum. In this manner the drums are operable concurrently or selectively accordingly as the brakes and the thumb-nuts on the drum-shaft are adjusted.

A crank 23 is mounted in the housing with its shank 24 extending loosely through the sides thereof, and on said shank is mounted a pinion 25 that meshes with both of the gears Iii-I6 so that as the crank is turned said gears are revolved in relative opposite directions upon their axes.

A ratchet shaft 26 is mounted in the sides of the housing for axial and angular movement. One end of said ratchet shaft has pivoted thereon a ratchet 2'! provided with a sprin 28 that is mounted on the pivot 29 with its opposite ends anchored in connection with the ratchet and the ratchet shaft respectively. The ratchet has limited pivotal movement in one direction and is normally held in axial alinement with the ratchet shaft by pressure of the spring and normally extends across the path of the crank 23 so as to arrest back-turning movement of the crank in one direction and permit turning of the crank in the opposite direction.

Mounted upon the ratchet shaft is disposed a compression spring 30, one end of which bears against a pin or stop 3| on the ratchet shaft while the opposite end of the spring bears on the opposite inner side of the housing. By action of the compression spring the ratchet 2? is yieldingly sustained in its engaging position. The ratchet shaft 26 is provided with an operating lever 32 by which it is adjusted to move the ratchet out of the path of the operating crank, thus permitting free action thereof. A notched rib 32 on the yoke 9 is provided to be engaged by the lever 32 thus to hold the ratchet 21 out of action.

In each end of the housing is arranged guides for the anchor cables |-l5 to insure winding The guide in one end of the housing preferably consists of a wire loop 33 the arms of which extend from the top of the housing and with their lower extremities secured in a spacer 34 positioned between the sides of the housing located in the lower portion thereof In this manner the lateral travel of the cable l5 as it is wound upon the drum is limited and derangement thereof is thus prevented. The guide in the other end of the housing consists of a loop 33 that depends from another spacer l 34', and the cable l5 travels through the loop as it is wound upon its drum 54. The two drums when in action, driven by the operating crank, and the crank is turned clockwise, the cable I5 is wound over onto the drum l4, while the cable I5 is wound underneath its drum I4. Reversely, upon turning the operatin crank counterclockwise, the cable I5 is unwound from over the drum I4 while the cable is unwound from under its drum [4. Thus, the cables are wound upon their drums or withdrawn therefrom accordingly as the operating crank is turned.

Two ways, generally indicated by B and C respectively, are provided, one for each of the cables l5--l5', each way consisting of a pulley block 35 that is connected to a supporting bracket 36 by means of a swivel 31. Each bracket is provided with a clamp screw 38 by which it is removably secured to a gunwale H of the boat. The ways B and C are positioned at widely separated locations on the boat, preferably close to the bow and stern between which the winch is located to suit the convenience of the operator.

The cables |5-I5 are each secured at one end to a corresponding one of the drums and are strung through the pulley blocks 35 from whence they depend and have secured thereto anchors 39 by means of snap couplings 40, the arrangement being such that as the drums are actuated the anchors are raised or lowered accordingly as the cables are wound upon the drums or unwound.

To enable the operator, while stationed at the winch, to determine when anchors reach their maximum elevation, there are provided indicators operatively associated with the cables. Each indicator consists of a straight shaft 4! having an ey formed in its upper end, constituting a sight 42, and at its opposite end another eye constituting a guide 43 that rides the corresponding cable. The shaft is sustained in operative position by means of another guide 44 that extends laterally outward from the pulley block 35 and through which the shaft has sliding movement. As the anchor approaches its maximum elevation the lower end of the indicator has contact with the coupling 48 causing upward travel of the indicator thus elevating the sight conspicuously where it is readily observed upon completion of the upward movement of the anchor.

Operation In use, the winch is mounted on one side of the boat preferably amidship in convenient reach of the occupant, and the ways are secured to the boat respectively at fore and aft locations thereon so the anchors hang pendently from the cables above the water preferably closely adjacent the bow and stern where they are sustained while the brakes have engagement with the drums. The anchors are lowered individually by loosening the thumb-nut 20 on the corresponding drum-shaft and releasing the brake from the drum thereon, whereupon the anchor descends accompanied by unwinding of the cable until the anchor reaches the sea floor, thus establishing an anchorage for the boat from a desired location. The boat is then maneuvered to another selected location where the other anchor is lowered as in the first instance, thus establishing a second anchorage more or less remote from the other. Then by tightening the thumb-nuts and turning the crank clockwise While the brakes are released the cables are wound upon their drums, thus taking up the slack in the cables which has the effect of drawing the boat into a position between the two anchorages where it is held until the anchors are weighed. By shifting the ratchet into engaging position and tightening both of the thumb-nuts, back-turning of the operating crank is arrested, thus preventing unintentional pay-out of the cables. In this manner the boat is secured in a definite position at the selected location where moored which is advantageous especially in still fishing.

Variations from the particular construction above disclosed may be resorted to by the exercise of skill in the art, without departure from the spirit or scope of the invention.

What I claim is:

1. In an anchoring appliance for a boat, a winch removably mounted amidship on the boat, fore and aft ways removably attached on the boat, each having-a pulley block, said winch having a housing, two drums provided each with a drum-shaft secured therein rotatively mounted in said housing, a concentric gear loosely mounted on each drum-shaft provided with a friction disk engageable with the adjacent drum-head, a thumb-nut threaded on the outer end of each drum-shaft, a concentric sleeve disposed loosely on each drum-shaft between the gear and thumbnut thereon and having bearing in the adjacent side of the housing, a manually operated brake for each drum, an operating crank supported by said housing and provided with a pinion that meshes with the gears on said drum-shafts, a ratchet-shift loosely mounted in said housing provided with a ratchet disposed in the path of said crank adapted to arrest turning of the crank in one direction, means to move and secure said ratchet out of action, a cable for each drum secured at one end thereto, strung through the corresponding pulley block and provided at its other end with an anchor, and an indicator for each cable mounted in connection with the corresponding pulley block, provided at its upper end with a sight, and at its lower end with a guide-eye through which the cable extends loosely, said indicators being movable by engagement with the anchors and raised to operating position respectively as said anchors reach their maximum elevation.

2. An anchoring appliance for a boat consisting of a winch mounted amidship on the boat, fore and aft ways secured on the boat, each having a pulley-block, said winch having a housing, two parallel drum-shafts rotatably mounted in said housing, each having secured thereon a drum, concentric gears on said drumshafts frictionally engageable with the corresponding drums, manually operated means for engaging the gears with said drums individually, manually operated brakes individually engageable with said drums, an operating crank supported by the housing and provided with a pinion that meshes with both of said gears, an adjustable ratchet supported by the housing and engageable with said crank adapted to arrest turning movement thereof in one direction, cables wound on said drums, strung through the corresponding pulley blocks and provided each with an anchor, and indicators movably mounted in connection with the corresponding pulley blocks and engageable by said anchors and moved thereby into operating position upon raising of said anchors to their maximum elevation.

3. An anchoring appliance for a boat consisting of a winch mounted amidship on the boat,

fore and aft ways secured on the boat, each having a pulley block, said winch having a housing, two parallel drum-shafts rotatably mounted in said housing, each having secured thereon a drum, concentric gears on said drum-shafts frictionally engageable with the corresponding drums, manually operated means for engaging the gears with said drums individually, manually operated brakes individually engageable with said drums, an operating crank supported by the housing and provided with a pinion that meshes with both of said gears, an adjustable ratchet supported by the housing and engageable with said crank adapted to arrest turning movement thereof in one direction, and cables wound on said drums, strung through the corresponding pulley blocks and provided each with an anchor.

4. An anchoring appliance for a boat consisting of a winch mounted amidship on the boat, fore and aft ways secured on the boat, each having a pulley block, said winch having a housing, two parallel drum-shafts rotatably mounted in said housing, each having secured thereon a drum, concentric gears on said drum-shafts frictionally engageable with the corresponding drums, manually operated means for engaging the gears" with said drums individually, manually operated brakes individually engageable with said drums, an operating crank supported by the housing and provided with a pinion that meshes with both of said gears, and cables wound on said drums, strung through the corresponding pulley blocks and provided each with an anchor.

5. Apparatus for anchoring a boat consisting of ways located respectively in the fore and aft portions of the boat, a winch located in the midportion of said boat, anchors suspended respectively from said ways by cables connected with said winch, said winch having drums upon which said cables are respectively wound and provided with gears adapted for frictional engagement with the corresponding drums, actuating means for said gears provided with a crank for activating said gears concurrently, adjusting means for throwing said gears selectively into engagement with the corresponding drums, and a ratchet mechanism adjustably mounted for movement into or out of the path of said crank.

6. Apparatus for anchoring a boat consisting of ways located respectively in the fore and aft portions of the boat, a winch located in the midportion of said boat, anchors suspended respectively from said ways by cables connected with said winch, said winch having drums upon which said cables are respectively wound and provided with gears adapted for frictional engagement with the corresponding drums, actuating means for said gears provided with a crank for activating said gears concurrently, and adjusting means for throwing said gears selectively into engagement with the corresponding drums.

'7. In apparatus for anchoring a boat including an anchor provided with a way located in an end portion of the boat, a cable extending through said way provided with an anchor on its distal end, a winch controlling the cable, and an indicator operatively associated with the distal portion of said cable and said way, said indicator consisting of a shaft extending through a guide on said way having another guide on its lower end encompassing the distal end portion of said cable and provided with a sight on its upper end located above the guide on said way, said indicator being adapted to be raised into operative position by action of the anchor.

EDWARD H. KRUSE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent;

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 186,011 Lamb Jan. 9, 1877 534,323 Davidson Feb. 19, 1895 1,147,095 Hunt et al. July 20, 1915 1,625,871 Robertson et al Apr. 26, 1927 2,139,727 Cook Dec. 13, 1938 2,354,805 Fey Aug. 1, 1944 

